Wearable garments recognition and integration with an interactive gaming system

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for managing a wearable garment device. Embodiments include determining an identification credential that uniquely identifies a player within an interactive gaming environment. A gameplay state of the player within the interactive gaming environment is retrieved. The gameplay state includes at least one of a rank of the player, one or more accomplishments of the player and a group to which the player belongs within the interactive gaming environment. Embodiments determine a wearable garment device having a preexisting association with the player within the interactive gaming environment. The wearable garment device is configured with one or more display devices. A graphical depiction of at least a portion of the gameplay state is generated and embodiments cause the generated graphical depiction to be output for display using the one or more display devices of the wearable garment device.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to entertainment systems, andmore specifically to techniques for automating control of a wearableelectronic display device, based on a determined state of an electronicgaming system.

Description of the Related Art

Computer graphics technology has come a long way since video games werefirst developed. Relatively inexpensive 3D graphics engines now providenearly photo-realistic interactive game play on hand-held video game,home video game and personal computer hardware platforms costing only afew hundred dollars. These video game systems typically include ahand-held controller, game controller, or, in the case of a hand-heldvideo game platform, an integrated controller. A user interacts with thecontroller to send commands or other instructions to the video gamesystem to control a video game or other simulation. For example, thecontroller may include a joystick and buttons operated by the user.

While video games allow the user to interact directly with the videogame system, such interactions primarily influence the graphicaldepiction shown on the video game device (or on a connected display),and rarely influence any other objects outside of the virtual world.That is, a user may specify an input to the video game system,indicating that the user's avatar should perform a jump action, and inresponse the video game system could display the user's avatar jumping.However, such interactions are typically limited to the virtual world,and any interactions outside the virtual world are limited (e.g., ahand-held gaming device could vibrate when certain actions occur).

Modern technologies such as augmented reality devices enable gamedevelopers to create games that exist outside of traditional video gameplatforms (e.g., where the virtual world is solely output through adisplay device). Using such technologies, virtual characters and othervirtual objects can be made to appear as if they are present within thephysical world. In such augmented reality experiences, it is generallypreferable for the virtual character to be rendered with realisticdimensions and positioning, in order to enhance the illusion that thecharacters are truly present within the physical world.

SUMMARY

Embodiments provide a method and article of manufacture for automatingcontrol of a wearable garment device. The method and article ofmanufacture include determining an identification credential thatuniquely identifies a player within an interactive gaming environment.The method and article of manufacture also include retrieving a gameplaystate of the player within the interactive gaming environment, where thegameplay state includes at least one of a rank of the player, one ormore accomplishments of the player and a group to which the playerbelongs within the interactive gaming environment. Additionally, themethod and article of manufacture include determining a wearable garmentdevice having a preexisting association with the player within theinteractive gaming environment, where the wearable garment device isconfigured with one or more display devices. The method and article ofmanufacture further include generating a graphical depiction of at leastone of the rank, the one or more accomplishments and the group of theplayer specified within the gameplay state. Further, the method andarticle of manufacture include causing the generated graphical depictionto be output for display using the one or more display devices of thewearable garment device.

Another embodiment provides a method of automating control of anelectronic device. The method includes receiving, at a first interactivedevice, from a wearable garment device, over a data communicationsnetwork, one or more data packets specifying a gameplay state of aplayer within an interactive gaming environment. The method alsoincludes retrieving predefined gameplay attribute data, from a memory ofthe first interactive device. Additionally, the method includesdetermining a relationship between the gameplay state of the player andthe predefined gameplay attribute data. The method further includesaccessing a data structure specifying a mapping of relationships todevice actions, using the determined relationship, to determine one ormore device actions. Moreover, the method includes transmitting aninstruction to one or more output devices of the first interactivedevice, to perform the determined one or more device actions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited aspects are attained andcan be understood in detail, a more particular description ofembodiments of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had byreference to the appended drawings.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a playtime environment in which a controller isinstructing interactive devices, according to one embodiment describedherein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a storytelling environment with a plurality ofplaygroups, according to one embodiment described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates a physical environment including storytelling devicesand a user, according to one embodiment described herein.

FIGS. 4A-C illustrate interactions involving wearable garmentsintegrated with an interactive gaming system, according to embodimentsdescribed herein.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of controlling a wearablegarment device based on an interaction with an interactive gamingsystem, according to one embodiment described herein.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of generating a displayfor a wearable garment device based on an interaction with anotherwearable garment device, according to one embodiment described herein.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an interactive object, accordingto one embodiment described herein.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a controller device, according toone embodiment described herein.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile device configured withan augmented reality component, according to one embodiment describedherein.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a wearable garment device,according to one embodiment described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally, embodiments described herein provide techniques forcontrolling devices in a synchronized fashion. Embodiments includedetermining one or more environmental devices are available within aphysical environment. For instance, the environmental devices couldinclude window covers, illumination devices, temperature control devicesand the like. A first instance of audiovisual content that is playingwithin the physical environment is detected. Examples of audiovisualcontent include, without limitation, video content (e.g., streamingmovie content), video game content and augmented reality game content.Embodiments determine an environmental condition at a first playbackposition within the first instance of audiovisual content. For instance,embodiments could analyze metadata for an instance of video contentplaying within the physical environment to determine that the videoframes at a current playback position of the video content depict a darkand snowy arctic scene. Embodiments could then control the one or moreenvironmental devices within the physical environment during playback ofthe first playback position within the first instance of audiovisualcontent, based on the determined environmental condition. For example, atemperature control device could be controlled in order to lower thetemperature of the physical environment. As another example, embodimentscould control one or more illumination devices within the physicalenvironment to dim the level of illumination within the physicalenvironment. Doing so enhances the user's experience during the playbackof the audiovisual content.

Particular embodiments are described herein with respect to an immersivestorytelling environment in which a story is played back through theinteraction of storytelling devices (also referred to as interactivedevices). More specifically, embodiments may use various storytellingdevices, each capable of producing some auditory and/or visual effect,to create an immersive and interactive storytelling experience for auser. Such a system may include a variety of storytelling devices and acontroller, connected via a network (e.g., an RF communicationsnetwork). Each storytelling device generally represents any devicecapable of enhancing a storytelling experience, in response to userinput (or some stimuli) a current context of a story. For instance, thecontroller device could configure the storytelling devices with stimulusand response information, based on a current context of a story. As anexample, the controller device could configure a particular storytellingdevice to generate audiovisual messages responsive to a certain stimulusevent (e.g., a user performing a particular action), and to performanother action responsive to other stimulus (e.g., the user notperforming the particular action within a predefined window of time).Generally, the controller may be one of the plurality of storytellingdevices, or the controller could be a standalone device (e.g., acomputing device executing a control application).

Generally, each of the storytelling devices can have differentcapabilities in terms of audio output devices and audio processing andstorage capabilities. For instance, a first device may include multiplehigher quality speakers and a greater amount of audio processing andstorage resources, while another storytelling device can include arelatively limited speaker and relatively limited audio processing andstorage resources. This could be because, for instance, higher qualityspeakers, processing and storage resources are generally more expensive,and it can be desirable for economic reasons for certain storytellingdevices to be lower cost devices.

As a result, certain audio effects may have a higher quality sound whenplayed using the hardware of a particular storytelling device, relativeto when the audio effect is played using another storytelling devicewith more limited hardware. As such, embodiments can tailor audio outputduring a storytelling experience such that that an optimal device isselected for particular sound effects during the story. For instance, inan Iron Man® themed story, a particular audio effect could representJarvis' voice giving instructions and updates to the player as part ofthe story. As the character Jarvis is not represented by any of thestorytelling devices used to play out the story, it could bethematically appropriate to output the audio effect representing Jarvis'voice through any of multiple storytelling devices used in the story. Assuch, embodiments could select one of the storytelling devices bestsuited to output the audio effect with the highest quality (e.g., thestorytelling device having the speakers, processing and storagecapabilities best suited for outputting the particular audio effect) andcould instruct the selected device to output the audio effect. Moreover,such devices can be selected dynamically throughout the story, asdevices may enter and exit the story playback for a variety of reasons(e.g., a new device is brought into the physical area where the story isbeing played out, a device runs out of battery power, etc.).

Additionally, in some cases the storytelling devices can be configuredto work in unison to output a particular sound effect. For instance, asingle sound effect could be output on multiple devices in unison inorder to create a stereophonic or surround-sound experience for theuser. In doing so, a slight time delay can be introduced in the playbackof the sound effect across the multiple devices, to avoid phasecancellation between the sound effects being output by the devices. Asanother example, the devices can be configured to output the soundeffect with a more significant time delay in order to create aparticular auditory effect for the user. For example, in a story thatsimulates the user being within a bee hive, the various storytellingdevices could each output the sound of a bee buzzing with a time delayin between the output of each of the devices, such that the sound of thebee buzzing appears to move throughout the physical environment. Thus,if the user is positioned between the various storytelling devices usedin the playback of the story, the sound of the bee buzzing could appearto encircle the user, thus creating an immersive auditory experience forthe user and enhancing the realism of the story.

Additionally, embodiments can include augmented reality devices togetherwith various storytelling devices as part of an augmented reality gamingenvironment. As used herein, an augmented reality device refers to anydevice capable of displaying a real-time view of a physical, real-worldenvironment while altering elements within the displayed view of theenvironment. As such, unlike a virtual reality device which displays aview of virtual world, an augmented reality device displays a view ofthe real world but augments elements using computer graphics technology.Such an augmented reality device may include a camera device (ormultiple camera devices) used to capture a view of the real-worldenvironment and may further include computer software and/or hardwareconfigured to augment elements of the captured scene. For example, anaugmented reality device could capture a series of images of a coffeecup sitting on top of a table, modify the series of images so that thecoffee cup appears as an animated cartoon character and display themodified series of images in real-time to a user. As such, when the userlooks at the augmented reality device, the user sees an augmented viewof the physical real-world environment in which the user is located.

Additionally, the software could identify a first physical object withinthe visual scene captured by camera devices of the augmented realitydevice. For instance, embodiments could analyze the visual scene todetermine the border edges of objects within the visual scene, and coulduse these border edges in order to identify one or more physical objectsexisting within the visual scene. Of note, as the captured visual scenerepresents a three-dimensional space (e.g., a physical environmentcaptured using a camera of the augmented reality device), embodimentsmay be configured to estimate a three-dimensional space occupied by eachof the physical objects within the captured scene. That is, the softwarecould be configured to estimate the three-dimensional surfaces ofphysical objects within the captured scene.

In response to detecting a known physical object with the visual scene,the software could render one or more virtual characters based on thephysical object's appearance within the captured frames. As an example,the augmented reality software could create a three-dimensionalrepresentation of the physical environment and could create a virtualobject or character to insert within the three-dimensionalrepresentation. The software could position the created virtual objector character at a position within the three-dimensional scene, based onthe depiction of the physical object within the captured frames. Forexample, the software could determine that the physical object isresting on a particular surface within the physical environment (e.g., atable surface, a floor, etc.), based on data about the size and shape ofthe physical object and the object's appearance within the capturedframes. Upon identifying the physical surface, the software couldposition the virtual object or character within the three-dimensionalscene, so that the virtual object or character is resting on theidentified surface. Doing so creates a more realistic experience for theuser.

Additionally, the software could scale the size of the virtual object orcharacter based on the depiction of the physical object within thecaptured frames. For instance, the software could store predefinedgeometric data for the physical object, specifying a shape anddimensions of the physical object. The software could then use suchinformation to determine how to size the virtual object or character inthe three-dimensional scene. For example, assume the virtual object is aspherical object that is 12 inches in diameter. The software coulddetermine a scaling for the virtual object based on the size of thephysical object within the captured frames and the predefined geometricdata specifying the physical object's known dimensions. As anotherexample, the software could create a virtual character and could scalethe size of the virtual character to life-size dimensions (e.g., thesize of an average human being), using the size of the physical objectwithin the captured frames and the predefined geometric data specifyingthe physical object's known dimensions. Doing so enables the augmentedreality software to create a realistic and consistent depiction of thevirtual object or character.

Generally, the augmented reality device can continue rendering frames ofthe three-dimensional scene interlaced with the frames captured by thecamera sensors of the augmented reality device, in real-time, as thedevice (and the user of the device) moves throughout the physicalenvironment. Advantageously, doing so provides a more immersiveaugmented reality experience for the user, as the user can paint thesurfaces of objects within the augmented reality world and the user'spainting will persist and remain accurate to the depicted physicalenvironment, even when the environment is viewed from differentperspectives using the augmented reality device.

An example will now be discussed with respect to FIG. 1, whichillustrates a playtime environment in which a controller is instructinginteractive devices to perform an effect, according to one embodimentdescribed herein. As shown, the system 100 includes an Iron Man® actionfigure 110, a Star Wars® blaster rifle 115, a Hulk® action figure 120,and a controller device 125. Here, the toys 110, 115 and 120 aregenerally capable of producing audiovisual effects (e.g., audio output,light effects, movement effects such as vibration, etc.). In oneembodiment, the toys 110, 115 and 120 may be configured with an actiondisc device (e.g., device 200 shown in FIG. 2 and discussed in moredetail below). Of note, while various examples are discussed herein withrespect to the toy devices 110, 115 and 120, it is broadly contemplatedthat these techniques can be utilized with any number of devices and anytypes of devices, consistent with the functionality described herein.

However, while the toys 110, 115 and 120 are capable of producingaudiovisual effects, the toys 110, 115 and 120 may not be configuredwith logic to determine when conditions in the physical environmentindicate a particular effect should be performed. This may be due to, inpart, the cost and complexity of configuring each toy 110, 115 and 120with the logic and hardware resources to detect stimuli in the physicalenvironment and to perform a contextually appropriate audiovisual effectin response synchronously with other devices. As such, the toys 110, 115and 120 could be configured to receive commands (e.g., from controller125) and to perform an audiovisual effect(s) responsive to the receivedcommands. Doing so allows the toys 110, 115 and 120 to be produced muchmore economically, while maintaining the capability to performaudiovisual effect(s) as part of a storytelling or playtime experience.

For example, as part of a Star Wars® storytelling experience, thestoryline could indicate that devices within the physical environmentshould play a particular sound effect when the user performs apredefined gesture to use the “force.” As such, the controller 125 couldmonitor the user's behavior to detect when the user has performed thepredefined gesture. For example, the controller 125 could use one ormore camera devices (e.g., within the controller devices 125, within oneor more of the toys 110, 115 and 120, etc.) to monitor the user'smovement within the physical environment. As another example, the usercould wear an article (e.g., a bracelet) configured with anaccelerometer device and capable of reporting data describing the user'smovement to the controller device 125.

Upon detecting the user has performed the predefined gesture, thecontroller 125 could broadcast a command to the toy devices 110, 115 and120, instructing the toy devices 110, 115 and 120 to synchronouslyperform an audiovisual effect. Such a command could be broadcast, forexample, via a radio-frequency transmitter, an infrared emitter, anultrasound transmitter, and so on. More generally, any communicationsprotocol may be used for the communication between the controller andthe toy devices 110, 115 and 120, consistent with the functionalitydescribed herein.

The toy devices 110, 115 and 120 could then receive the command andcould perform the specified audiovisual effect in synchrony. Forexample, in the event the command specifies to play a particular soundeffect, each of the toy devices 110, 115 and 120 could output theparticular sound effect in synchrony with the other toy devices, therebycreating an improved sensorial experience for the user, relative to anyof the toy devices 110, 115 and 120 playing the sound effectindividually. Here, the sound effect could be, e.g., a sampled soundeffect or a function-generated sound effect. Moreover, as discussedabove, by playing the sound effect synchronously with one another, thetoy devices 110, 115 and 120 can compensate for each other's weaknesses(e.g., a particular toy device being capable of outputting sounds withina limited frequency range), thereby producing an improved sound effectand sensorial immersion for the user.

While any number of toy devices can be used, the sense of immersionexperienced by the user generally scales with the number of devicesperforming audiovisual effects in synchrony. For example, the controller125 could detect when the user pulls the trigger to fire the blaster gun115, and in response, could broadcast a command to all of the toydevices 110, 115 and 120 to output the sound effect of the blast beingfired. Additionally, the controller 125 could instruct the toy devices110, 115 and 120 to perform additional audiovisual effects, such asflashing lights and movements, in response to the user firing theblaster. Doing so helps to overload the user's senses, thereby creatinga more immersive and realistic playtime experience.

Generally, a variety of techniques may be used to configure the toydevices 110, 115 and 120 to synchronously output the audiovisual effect.In one embodiment, the toy devices 110, 115 and 120 could be configuredto output the audiovisual effect immediately upon receiving the commandfrom the controller 125. Such an embodiment may be preferable when thetoy devices 110, 115 and 120 receive the command at substantially thesame time and when the toy devices 110, 115 and 120 take substantiallythe same amount of time to process the command and to perform thecorresponding audiovisual effect. As another example, each of the toydevices 110, 115 and 120 (as well as the controller 125) could maintainan internal clock whose time is synchronized to the internal clock ofthe other toy devices, and the command transmitted by the controller 125could specify a time at which to perform the audiovisual effect.Generally, any technique suitable for use in synchronizing the internalclocks may be used, consistent with the present disclosure. Examples ofsuch techniques include, without limitation, Network Time Protocol(NTP), Precision Time Protocol (PTP), Reference Broadcast TimeSynchronization, and so on.

Additionally, the controller 125 could be configured to selectivelyplayback certain audio effects on the devices 110, 115 and 120, based onwhich device is best suited for the playback of each particular audioeffect. For instance, a particular Iron Man® themed story could includeaudio effects representing dialogue from Jarvis, where Jarvis is notdirectly represented by any of the storytelling devices 110, 115 and 120used in the playback of the story. As such, the controller 125 couldselect one of the storytelling devices 110, 115 and 120 that is bestsuited to output the audio effect with the highest quality sound. Thus,the controller 125 could determine that the toy blaster rifle 115 hasthe optimal speaker configuration and audio processing capabilities tooutput the sound effects representing Jarvis' dialogue and couldtransmit the corresponding audio data to the blaster rifle 115 foroutput.

Of note, the controller 125 can be configured to dynamically determinethe optimal storytelling device(s) for outputting a particular soundeffect, as the available storytelling devices can change from story tostory and can even change within the playback of a single story. Forexample, during the playback of a particular story, the Iron Man® actionfigure 110 could run low on battery power and could be removed from thestory as a result. As such, the controller 125 could remove the IronMan® action figure 110 from consideration when subsequently placingaudio effects. As another example, the user's friend could visit theuser's house and could bring a fourth storytelling device into theplayback of the story. As such, the controller 125 could consider thefourth storytelling device in addition to the devices 110, 115 and 120when searching for an optimal device to output subsequent audio effects.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example storytelling environment, according to oneembodiment. As shown, the environment 200 includes a cloud computingenvironment 210 and a home environment 225, interconnected via network222. The home environment 225 includes two playgroups 230 ₁₋₂ ofstorytelling devices, as well as a user(s) 255 and a bridge device(s)250. Here, the user may connect to the bridge device 250 via anapplication (e.g., executing on a mobile device, rendered within a webbrowser, etc.). The cloud computing environment 210 hosts a plurality ofservices 215 and a portal user interface 220.

Generally, cloud computing generally refers to the provision of scalablecomputing resources as a service over a network. More formally, cloudcomputing may be defined as a computing capability that provides anabstraction between the computing resource and its underlying technicalarchitecture (e.g., servers, storage, networks), enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimalmanagement effort or service provider interaction. Thus, cloud computingallows a user to access virtual computing resources (e.g., storage,data, applications, and even complete virtualized computing systems) in“the cloud,” without regard for the underlying physical systems (orlocations of those systems) used to provide the computing resources.

Typically, cloud computing resources are provided to a user on apay-per-use basis, where users are charged only for the computingresources actually used (e.g. an amount of storage space consumed by auser or a number of virtualized systems instantiated by the user). Auser can access any of the resources that reside in the cloud at anytime, and from anywhere across the Internet. Doing so allows a user toaccess information and the services 215 from any computing systemattached to a network connected to the cloud (e.g., the Internet).

Each playgroup 230 _(1-N) generally represents a set of storytellingdevices involved in a unique storytelling or playtime experience. Forinstance, the playgroup 230 ₁ represents a science fiction-themedstorytelling experience and includes a light sword storytelling device235, an action figure controller storytelling device 240, and a trainerstorytelling device 245. Likewise, the playgroup 230 ₂ also represents ascience fiction-themed storytelling experience and includes a lightsword controller storytelling device 260 and an action figurestorytelling device 265. More generally, however, the playgroups maycontain any number of storytelling devices of any number of differentthemes and types.

Generally, the playgroups 230 include storytelling devices within aparticular physical location (e.g., a room of the house environment225). That is, it may be preferable for a storytelling experience toonly interact with storytelling devices within its immediate physicalproximity (e.g., within the same room), as to do otherwise canpotentially create security and other problems during the storytellingexperience. A number of different techniques may be used to determinewhich storytelling devices are within immediate physical proximity ofone another. For example, one or more of the storytelling devices couldemit a first signal (e.g., an infrared signal) and the otherstorytelling devices could be configured to transmit a response (e.g., aradio frequency signal (RF)) upon receiving the first signal. Thestorytelling device(s) could then receive the responses from the otherstorytelling devices and could create a playgroup 230 that includes theother storytelling devices as well as the one or more storytellingdevices.

Generally, it is advantageous for the first signal to be transmittedusing a technique that does not readily pass through barriers such asthe walls of a house (e.g., emitting infrared light), so as to detectonly nearby storytelling devices that are within the same physicalenvironment as the storytelling device. That is, while particularsignals (e.g., RF signals) may be suited for inter-devicecommunications, these signals may not be ideal for detecting nearbystorytelling devices as they may readily permeate through barriers suchas the walls of the house. Doing so helps to ensure that a storytellingexperience will not make use of storytelling devices in different roomsof a residence or potentially within different residences altogether.

As shown, the devices 240 and 260 have been elected as controllerdevices within the playgroups 230 ₁₋₂. Generally, a controller deviceconfigures each of the storytelling devices within a playgroup toperform certain actions in response to a detected stimulus event and acurrent context of the story being told. Since acting as a controllerdevice may result in more processing and data transmissions operations,serving as the controller device may also consume more battery power. Assuch, when two or more devices capable of serving as the controllerdevice are present within a playgroup 230, embodiments can consider thecurrent battery charge and battery capabilities of the capable deviceswhen selecting one of the devices to serve as the controller.

As discussed above, devices can join and leave the playgroups 230 duringthe playback of a story. As such, the controller devices 240 and 265 canbe configured to dynamically determine an optimal device(s) for theplayback of a particular audio effect and can optimize the audio effectfor playback on the determined device, based on the devices currentlyactive within the respective playgroup 230. Doing so allows audioeffects to be played back with the highest sound quality possible usingthe available devices, thereby enhancing the user experience during thestory.

The story may include a number of different contexts in a temporalorder, and the playback of the story may advance from one context to thenext until the last context is reached and the storytelling experienceis complete. However, while the story may be linear in progression, thisis not necessary. For example, a story could have different branches,where the story can proceed down one of many possible arcs. Forinstance, arcs could be randomly selected, selected based on a user'srequest (e.g., the user specifying which arc should be taken), selectedbased on the user's actions (e.g., the user manages to “rescue” one ofthe fictional characters in the story), selected based on the user'shistory of actions (e.g., whether the user is trending towards the “darkside” in a science fiction storyline), and so on. Moreover, the storymay be modified dynamically during playback based on various actions,such as one of the storytelling devices becoming unavailable (e.g.,losing power, leaving the physical environment, etc.) or a newstorytelling device being introduced to the environment (e.g., theuser's friend comes over to play, bringing one or more new storytellingdevices with him).

Additionally, the controller may maintain state information and controlgame logic for the playgroup 230. For example, playgroup 230 ₁ could beplaying out a story in which a user is asked by the action figure device240 to deflect virtual laser beams fired from the trainer device 245,using the light sword device 235. Here, the elected controller device(i.e., action figure 240) could maintain a “hit points” value for theuser that is decremented when the user fails to deflect one of thevirtual lasers, and could further maintain a count of how many virtuallasers the user has deflected thus far. Additionally, the controllercould retrieve state data for the user (e.g., by querying one of thecloud-based services 215 with an identifier for the user) and could usethe user state data to adjust the playback of the story.

In addition to detecting nearby storytelling device within the samephysical environment, the storytelling devices within a playgroup 230may elect one of the storytelling devices as a controller storytellingdevice. A number of different techniques may be used for such anelection. For example, a user could explicitly specify that a particularone of the storytelling devices (e.g., the user's favorite device)should be used as the controller. It may be preferable for the user toselect a device that will remain with the user throughout thestorytelling experience, so as to avoid a subsequent controller electionpart-way through the story. In one embodiment, the controller may beelected based on technical specifications and properties of thestorytelling devices. For example, a storytelling device with asubstantial amount of memory, processing power and communicationbandwidth may be preferable as the controller, relative to a devicehaving a lesser amount of computing resources.

As discussed above, the story may generally include stimulus events andcorresponding actions, and may be linear in progression or dynamic(e.g., a story that includes different story arcs or branches). In oneembodiment, the story may be defined such that each corresponding actionis attribute to a type or role of storytelling device (i.e., as opposedto a specific storytelling device). In mapping the story to theavailable and compatible storytelling devices, the controller device 220could determine a type of each of the storytelling devices, and couldassign particular stimulus events and corresponding actions to each ofthe storytelling devices based on the determined type. For example, aparticular story could state that an action should be performed by astorytelling device having the role of “Hero”, and the controller couldmap the action onto a storytelling device within the playgroup havingthe role “Hero”.

For instance, assuming that the storytelling device 240 represents afirst fictional character action figure, the controller 240 could assignany stimulus events and actions within the story that are specific tothe fictional character to the action figure 240. Likewise, if the storyincludes any stimulus events and actions designated for a hero-typecharacter in the science fiction universe, the controller 240 couldassign these stimulus events and the corresponding actions to the device240 as well. In the event multiple storytelling devices are availablethat satisfy the criteria for a stimulus event/action combination (e.g.,multiple hero devices are present and available within the playgroup),the controller 240 could select one of the storytelling devices toperform each of the stimulus event/action combinations. The controllercould use a number of different techniques for mapping the actions tothe compatible devices, including a random mapping algorithm, a loadbalancing algorithm (e.g., round robin), user preferences (e.g.,assigning more actions to a device the user has identified as hisfavorite), explicit user instructions (e.g., allowing a user tocustomize the story, such as selecting which character will narrate thestory), and so on. In one embodiment, the controller is configured toconsider the audio output and processing capabilities of the variouscompatible devices, when selecting one of the devices to perform a givenaction to a particular stimulus event. For example, when assigning adialogue action to one of the devices, the controller could select adevice capable of outputting the dialogue action with the greatest soundquality, in lieu of another device capable of outputting the dialoguewith a relatively poor sound quality. Advantageously, dynamicallymapping the story onto the available and compatible devices allows thestory to be used with various different storytelling devices andcombinations of storytelling devices.

In one embodiment, the story may specify a distinct, contextuallyappropriate action to perform for various types of storytelling devicesfor a given stimulus event. That is, the controller could determine thata particular story includes a stimulus event designated for a herocharacter, and could specify a corresponding action designated for aaction figure 240 and a separate, distinct action designated for andifferent hero character-based device. In such an embodiment, uponselecting one of the devices to respond to the stimulus event, thecontroller could assign the corresponding action to the device based onthe device's type. Doing so helps to create a more immersive andrealistic storytelling experience for the user, as the storytellingdevices can be configured to react to stimulus events in a mannerappropriate for the represented fictional character.

Once the controller maps the story onto the devices, the controllerconfigures each of the storytelling devices with a number of stimulusevents and corresponding effects relating to a first context of thestory. As an example, the action figure 240 could detect when the userhas successfully deflected a virtual laser fired from the storytellingdevice 245 (i.e., an occurrence of the stimulus event), and couldaudibly congratulate the user in response (i.e., performing thecorresponding effect).

In some cases, the controller (e.g., controller device 240) can map aparticular audio effect to multiple devices for playback. The playbackon the multiple devices can be done in unison or by using a time delayacross the various devices. For example, a slight time delay couldimprove the sound quality of a particular audio effect by avoiding phasecancellation of the audio output by the various devices. By doing so,the controller can achieve a stereoscopic or surround sound effect.

FIG. 3 illustrates a physical environment including storytelling devicesand a user, according to one embodiment described herein. As shown, theenvironment 300 includes a user 310 surrounded by a number ofstorytelling devices 315, 320, 325 and 335 as well as a control device335. The environment 300 further includes a movement tracking device 340and a microphone device 345. Of note, while the movement tracking device340 and microphone device 345 are shown as separate devices within theenvironment 300, in other embodiments of the present disclosure thedevices 315, 320, 325 and 330 can be configured with microphone sensordevices and sensors for tracking user movement.

Generally, the control device 335 can select two or more of the devices315, 320, 325 and 330 to output a particular sound and can generate aschedule by which the selected devices should output the sound. Forinstance, such a schedule could specify that the selected devices shouldoutput the sound in unison or could specify that each of the selecteddevices should output the sound effect at a different point in time, soas to introduce a time delay between the audio output of each device.For example, a particular story having a jungle theme could includeambient sound effects that simulate the sounds of a jungle, includingbirds chirping, insects buzzing, the sound of a distant waterfall, andso on. In outputting the ambient sound effects, the control device 335could distribute the various sound effects across the devices 315, 320,325 and 330 (with some potentially output by the control device 335itself) and could generate a timing schedule by which the various soundeffects should be played by the devices 315, 320, 325 and 330. Forexample, the schedule could specify that the sound effects should betemporally staggered (i.e., not all played at the same time) and coulddistribute the sound effects across the devices 315, 320, 325 and 330,so as to create a three-dimensional soundscape for the user 310.

Additionally, as discussed above, the control device 335 can considerthe individual audio playback and processing capabilities of the devices315, 320, 325 and 330 when distributing the sound effects, so as tooptimize the distribution of the sound effects to the most appropriatedevice 315, 320, 325 and 330. For example, a first sound effect couldcorrespond to the beat of jungle drums and could include significant lowfrequency sounds, while a second sound effect could correspond to thesound of a distant waterfall and includes primarily medium frequencysounds. As such, the control device 335 could assign the sound effect ofthe drum beat to one of the devices 315, 320, 325 and 330 having audiooutput capabilities best suited to playing low frequency sounds, andcould assign the waterfall sound effect to a device with more limitedaudio playback capabilities that is better capable of playing theprimarily mid-range sound effect. Advantageously, doing so allows thecontrol device 335 to optimize the assignments of the individual deviceswhen creating the soundscape for the user 310.

In one embodiment, the control device 335 is configured to communicatewith the movement tracking device 340 to determine a position of a user310 within the physical environment. For example, the movement trackingdevice 340 could represent one or more camera devices positionedthroughout the physical environment, and the control device 335 couldanalyze images captured using the one or more camera devices to identifya portion of pixels within the images corresponding to the user 310. Thecontrol device 335 could then determine the position of the user withinthe physical environment, based on the determined portions of pixelswithin each of the captured images and predefined information defining aposition and orientation of each of the one or more camera devices.

The control device 335 can then consider the position of the user 310relative to the position of the devices 315, 320, 325 and 330, whendistributing and scheduling sound effects to the various devices 315,320, 325 and 330. For instance, assume that a particular story takesplace within a bee hive and includes ambient sound effects simulatingbees flying all around the user 310. The controller 335 could considerthe user's 310 position in distributing the ambient sound effects to thedevices 315, 320, 325 and 330 for playback, so as to ensure the outputof the sound effects creates an immersive and three-dimensionalsoundscape for the user. Thus, in this example, the controller 335 couldschedule the sound of a bee buzzing to be output by each of the devices315, 320, 325 and 330 with a time delay in between each output, so thatthe sound of the bee appears to repeatedly encircle the user 310 who ispositioned roughly in between all of the devices 315, 320, 325 and 330.

Moreover, the controller 335 can be configured to dynamically update theplayback schedule and the devices used in the playback in real-time, asthe position of the user 310 and the various devices changes. Forinstance, as the devices move throughout the physical environment (e.g.,when carried by a user, when moving on their own, etc.), the controller335 could dynamically update the playback schedule of the bee buzzingsound effect to maintain the effect of the sound encircling the user310. For example, a first sequential playback order for the bee buzzingsound effect could be devices 315, device 320, control device 335,device 330 and then device 325, which could repeat indefinitely providedthe devices 315, 320, 325, 330 and 325 and the user 310 remain in theirdepicted positions. However, if as part of the story playback thedevices 315 and 330 move throughout the physical environment and changepositions, the control device 335 could update the sequential playbackorder to be device 330, device 320, control device 335, device 315 andthen device 325.

Embodiments presented herein provide techniques for managinginteractions for an interactive garment device. In one embodiment,control logic (e.g., control device 335) can determine an identificationcredential that uniquely identifies a player within an interactivegaming environment. The control logic can retrieve gameplay stateinformation for the player within the interactive gaming environment.The gameplay state may include a rank of the player, one or moreaccomplishments of the player and a group to which the player belongswithin the interactive gaming environment. The control logic can furtherdetermine a wearable garment device having a preexisting associationwith the player within the interactive gaming environment, where thewearable garment device is configured with one or more display devices.Additionally, the control logic can generate a graphical depiction of atleast one of the rank, the one or more accomplishments and the group ofthe player specified within the gameplay state, and cause the generatedgraphical depiction to be output for display using the one or moredisplay devices of the wearable garment device.

For example, the control logic could determine that the gameplay stateinformation specifies that the player has achieved a rank of Jedi withinthe interactive gaming environment. The control logic could thenretrieve a predefined graphical depiction corresponding to the Jedi rankand could transmit the predefined graphical depiction to a controldevice for a wearable garment worn by the player. The control devicecould in turn output the predefined graphical depiction on a displaydevice embedded within the wearable garment. Doing so enables thegameplay state information to be dynamically depicted on the wearablegarment.

In one embodiment, control logic for the interactive game is configuredto control the devices 315, 320, 325, and 330, in response to detectingthe wearable garment device is worn by the user 310. For instance, thecontroller device 335 could determine that the wearable garment deviceis within a predefined proximity of the controller device 335 based onthe transmission of one or more signals (e.g., infrared signals) betweenthe controller device 335 and the wearable garment device. Thecontroller device 335 could, in response, determine an identity of theuser 310 based on user identification information received (e.g., over awireless communication network) from a control device for the wearablegarment device.

The controller device 335 could further determine the gameplay stateinformation corresponding to the user identification information andcould determine one or more actions to be performed by one of thedevices 315, 320, 325 and 330. For instance, upon determining that theplayer has achieved the rank of Jedi and upon analyzing predefineddevice context information to determine that a particular one of thedevices is associated with the Jedi group, the controller device 335could transmit an instruction to the particular device to perform acontextually appropriate action. As an example, the controller device335 could determine which of a plurality of recognized groups thegameplay state information indicates the user belongs to and which ofthe plurality of recognized groups the particular device belongs to. Thecontroller device 335 could then access a set of predefined rulesspecifying interactions between the determined groups. For example, thecontroller device 335 could determine that when the particular deviceand the player belong to the Jedi group, the particular device isconfigured to perform a friendly greeting action. The controller device335 could then determine the friendly greeting action (e.g., selectedfrom a plurality of friendly greeting actions) and could transmit aninstruction to the particular device to perform the determined action.For instance, the controller device 335 could determine an audio filecorresponding to the friendly greeting action and could transmit theaudio file to the particular device for output. Doing so enables thedevices 315, 320, 325 and 330 within the interactive gaming environmentto dynamically react to the user.

FIGS. 4A-C illustrate interactions involving wearable garmentsintegrated with an interactive gaming system, according to embodimentsdescribed herein. As shown in FIG. 4A, the illustration 400 depicts auser 402 and a second user 410. As depicted, the user 402 is wearing thewearable garment device 404, which is configured with display device406. The display device 406 is currently outputting for display adepiction of a rank 408 within an interactive game.

In the depicted example, the controller device 335 could determine useridentification information for the user 402, based on user credentialinformation provided by the user 402. For example, the user couldprovide the user credential information through a user interface (e.g.,executing on a mobile device) during an initial configuration of thewearable garment device 404, and control logic for the wearable garmentdevice 404 could save user identification information corresponding tothe user credential information on a memory device of the wearablegarment device 404. The controller device 335 could then request thestored user identification information from the wearable garment device404 to identify the user 402.

The controller device 335 could then retrieve gameplay state informationfor an interactive gaming environment that corresponds to the useridentification information. For example, the gameplay state informationcould include a rank of the player within the interactive game,accomplishments of the player within the interactive game, achievementsunlocked by the player within the interactive game, a group to which theplayer belongs within the interactive game, a level of the player withinthe interactive game, and so on. The controller device 335 could thengenerate a graphical depiction for display on the wearable garmentdevice 404, based on the gameplay state information. In the example 400,the controller device 335 has determined a rank of the player based onthe gameplay state information and the controller device 335 hasgenerated a graphical depiction of the rank. The controller device 335,in the present example, then transmits the graphical depiction to acontrol device for the wearable garment device 404 for output on thedisplay device 406. Doing so enables the user to demonstrate his in-gamestatus for the interactive game wherever the user goes.

Generally, the display device 406 any suitable display device that canbe embedded within a wearable garment device. Additionally, one or morepower storage devices (not shown) can be embedded within the wearablegarment device 404 in order to provide power to the display device 406.For example, the power storage device(s) could be a rechargeable LithiumPolymer (LiPo) battery, a coin cell/button cell battery, a dry cellbattery, a flexible Lithium Ion battery or other flexible battery, andso on. More generally, any power source that can be attached to orembedded within a wearable garment device can be used, consistent withthe functionality described herein.

In one embodiment, a wearable garment device is configured to providefeedback in response to detecting occurrences of particular predefinedevents. For example, control logic for a wearable garment device coulddetermine that another wearable garment device has come within apredefined distance of the wearable garment device. An example of suchan embodiment is shown in FIG. 4B, where the illustration 420 depicts afirst user 422 and a second user 432. In the depicted example, the firstuser 422 is wearing a wearable garment device 424, which is configuredwith display device 428 and a haptic feedback device 426. Additionally,the wearable garment device 424 is printed with an indication of a groupwithin an interactive game (i.e., “Group A” in the illustration 420).The display device 428 is currently displaying a depiction of a rank 430corresponding to the user's 422 rank within the interactive game. Thesecond user 432 is shown as wearing a wearable garment device 434, whichis also printed with an indication of the group within the interactivegame. Additionally, the wearable garment device 434 is configured with adisplay device 436, which is currently displaying a depiction of a rank438 corresponding to the user's 432 rank within the interactive game.

In the depicted embodiment, control logic for the wearable garmentdevice 424 has detected that the wearable garment device 434 has comewithin a predefined proximity of the wearable garment device 424. Inresponse to such a determination, the control logic has transmitted aninstruction to the haptic feedback device 426, instructing the hapticfeedback device 426 to perform a particular action to provide feedbackto the user 422. For instance, the control logic could receive one ormore data packets from a transceiver (not shown) of the wearable garmentdevice 434, over a wireless communications network, specifying stateinformation for the wearable garment device 434.

As an example, the state information could specify that the wearablegarment device 434 has a predefined association with the group “GroupA.” The control logic could then determine feedback to provide using thehaptic feedback device 426 (and/or any other output devices for thewearable garment 424), based on the state information. Additionally, thecontrol logic could determine the feedback to provide based on stateinformation describing the wearable garment device 424. For instance,the control logic could determine the feedback to provide based on arelationship for the state information describing the wearable garmentdevice 424 and received state information describing the wearablegarment device 434. For example, if the control logic determines thatthe wearable garment device 424 and the wearable garment device 434belong to the same group, the control logic could instruct the hapticfeedback device 426 to perform short bursts of haptic feedback to alertthe user 422 to the presence of the user 432. If, as another example,the control logic determines that a wearable garment device belonging toan opposing group (e.g., “Group B”), the control logic could instructthe haptic feedback device 426 to perform a relatively long burst ofhaptic feedback, indicating that the user 432 is of an opposing group.Of course, more generally, any form of feedback can be provided based onany relationship between the state information for the wearable garmentdevices 424 and 434, consistent with the functionality described herein.

In particular embodiments, the control logic for the wearable garmentdevice can be configured to broadcast (e.g., using radio frequency (RF)communications) state information describing the wearable garment device(e.g., a type of the wearable garment device, gameplay state informationdescribing a player within an interactive game, etc.). Other interactivedevices can then be configured to dynamically perform actions, based onthe received state information. An example of such an embodiment isshown in FIG. 4C, where the illustration 440 depicts the user 422wearing the wearable garment 424. The illustration further includes aninteractive device 448 positioned at a particular roller coasterattraction at an amusement park.

In the depicted embodiment, control logic for the interactive device 448could receive the broadcast of state information for the wearablegarment device 424. The control logic for the interactive device 448could then determine one or more actions to perform, based on thereceived state information. For example, upon determining that the stateinformation for the wearable garment device 424 specifies a data valueindicating that the wearable garment device 424 is affiliated with aparticular group within an interactive game (e.g., a Jedi group). Thecontrol logic for the interactive device 448 could then select one ormore actions to perform, based on the determined group. As an example,the control logic for the interactive device 448 could be configuredwith a number of digital audio files containing prerecorded greetingscorresponding to the determined group, and the control logic for theinteractive device 448 could select one of the digital audio files(e.g., randomly or pseudo-randomly) and could output the selecteddigital audio file for playback. Doing so provides a customized greetingas the user wearing the wearable garment device 424 approaches theroller coaster attraction.

Additionally, the control logic for the interactive device 448 couldconsider other attributes of the received state information indetermining the feedback actions to perform. For instance, the controllogic for the interactive device 448 could determine a rank (or level)that the user has obtained within the interactive game, and could thendetermine feedback actions to perform based on the determined rank (orlevel). As an example, the control logic for the interactive device 448could determine that a particular user has only obtained the rank ofPadawan within the interactive game and could determine a series ofactions to be performed by the interactive device 448 and any otherinteractive devices at the amusement park attraction. Continuing theexample, the control logic for the interactive device 448 could select adigital audio file representing a greeting for Padawan-ranked users andcould output the digital audio file for playback using one or morespeaker devices of the interactive device 448.

Additionally, the control logic for the interactive device 448 coulddetermine one or more movement actions to be performed by anotherinteractive device (e.g., a robotic device having the appearance of aJedi teacher) within the physical environment, based on attributes ofthe other interactive device and the received state information. Forexample, the control logic for the interactive device 448 could transmitinstructions to the other interactive device, instructing the otherinteractive device to perform a predefined movement action (e.g.,actuating a mechanism(s) within the device to automatically move therobotic device's arms into a crossed position). As another example, upondetermining that the state information received from the wearablegarment device 444 indicates that the player has achieved the relativelyhigher rank of “Jedi Master” (e.g., based on the state informationspecifying a unique identifier corresponding to the rank of JediMaster), the control logic for the interactive device 448 could transmitinstructions to the other interactive device, instructing the otherinteractive device to perform a different predefined movement (e.g.,actuating other mechanism(s) within the device to move the roboticdevice's torso in a bowing motion). More generally, any contextuallyappropriate action, sound effects and other effects can be performedbased on the state information received from the wearable garment device(as well as the predefined information for the interactive device 448),consistent with the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of controlling a wearablegarment device based on an interaction with an interactive gamingsystem, according to one embodiment described herein. As shown, themethod 500 begins at block 510, where control logic (e.g., forinteractive device 448) determines, based on a detected signal, thatanother garment device is within range of a beacon. For example, thebeacon could represent a RF transceiver device deployed in a fixedposition at a particular attraction within an amusement park.

The control logic then determines one or more attributes of the wearablegarment device, based on the detected signal received from the wearablegarment device (block 515). For example, the wearable garment devicecould transmit one or more data packets (e.g., using Bluetooth®communications) specifying gameplay state information and the controllogic could process the gameplay state information to determine anin-game group for an interactive game corresponding to the wearablegarment device (e.g., “Light Side,” “Dark Side,” etc.). The controllogic could further determine a user's level of experience within theinteractive game, achievements unlocked by the user within theinteractive game, and so on, based on the gameplay state information.

The control logic then determines one or more actions to performcorresponding to the determined one or more attributes of the wearablegarment device and one or more predefined attributes of the beacon(block 520). For example, the control logic could determine that the oneor more predefined attributes of the beacon indicate that the beacon hasa predefined association with the “Light Side” group within theinteractive game. Upon determining that the gameplay state informationreceived from the wearable garment device indicates that the wearablegarment device is also affiliated with the “Light Side” group, thecontrol logic could select a digital audio file containing a friendlygreeting. The control logic could then transmit an instruction over adata communications network to perform the determined one or moreactions (block 525) and the method 500 ends.

For example, the control logic could determine a relationship betweenthe determined one or more attributes of the wearable garment device andone or more predefined attributes of the beacon and could access amapping of attribute relationships to actions to determine the one ormore actions to perform. As another example, the control logic coulddetermine that the gameplay state information received from the wearablegarment device indicates that the user has reached the rank of “Jedi”within the interactive game. The control logic could then determine thatthe predefined attributes of the beacon indicate that the beacon deviceis a relatively low level within the interactive game (e.g., the rank of“Padawan”). The control logic could then retrieve a corresponding set ofactions based on a determined relationship between the rankings usingthe mapping. For instance, the control logic could retrieve a digitalaudio file containing a greeting and could further a sequence ofmovement actions to be performed by an interactive device. The controllogic could transmit an instruction to output the digital audio file forplayback using one or more speaker devices and could transmit aninstruction for an interactive device within the physical environment toperform the sequence of movement actions. Doing so enables the userwearing the wearable garment device to be greeted in a dynamicallydetermined fashion, based on the user's in-game status within theinteractive game, as specified by the gameplay state information storedon the wearable garment device.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of controlling a state ofa wearable garment device, according to one embodiment described herein.As shown, the method 600 begins at block 610, where control logic forthe wearable garment device transmits a wireless signal to search fornearby garment devices. For example, the control logic could transmitone or more data packets specifying state information (e.g., specifyinga type of the wearable garment device) for the wearable garment device.

In the depicted example, the control logic for the wearable garmentdevice detects a second wearable garment device within range of thewearable garment device (block 615). For example, the control logiccould receive, over the wireless communications network, one or moredata packets including state information for the second wearable garmentdevice, and the control logic could analyze the content of the one ormore data packets to determine that the second wearable garment deviceis within range of the wearable garment device (e.g., based on the datapacket(s) being formatted according to a predefined format used bywearable garment devices).

The control logic could then determine attributes of the second wearablegarment device by communicating, over the wireless communicationsnetwork, with a second control device for the second wearable garmentdevice (block 620). For example, the control logic could analyze the oneor more data packets (as well as additional data packets) received fromthe second wearable garment device to determine gameplay stateinformation for a player of an interactive gaming environment. Suchgameplay state information could include, for example, a rank of theplayer, one or more accomplishments of the player and a group to whichthe player belongs within the interactive gaming environment, and so on.More generally, the attributes can be any description of the player (orthe player's avatar) within the interactive gaming environment.

The control logic for the first wearable garment device can thendetermine one or more actions to perform, based on the determinedattributes of the second wearable garment device and predefinedattributes of the first wearable garment device (block 625). Forinstance, the control logic could determine a relationship between thedetermined attributes of the second wearable garment device and thepredefined attributes of the first wearable garment device. For example,the control logic could determine that the determined attributes and thepredefined attributes both specify the same group within the interactivegame (e.g., the “dark side” group). The control logic could then accessa data structure specifying a mapping of relationships to deviceactions, using the determined relationship, to determine one or moredevice actions to be performed. For instance, the control logic couldaccess the data structure using a data value representing the devicesspecifying the same group within the interactive game to determine thedevice actions to perform. As another example, upon determining that theattributes for the wearable garment devices specifying opposing groupswithin the interactive game (e.g., “light side” versus “dark side”), thecontrol logic could access the data structure using another data valuerepresenting opposing groups within the interactive game. As yet anotherexample, the control logic could determine that an in-game rankingspecified in the attributes of the first wearable garment device greatlyexceeds the in-game ranking specified in the attributes of the secondwearable garment device, and could access the mapping to retrieveactions corresponding to the relationship of disparate in-game rankingsbetween the two devices. While the above examples are provided forillustrative purposes, more generally any sort of relationship betweenthe attributes of the wearable garment devices can be used, consistentwith the present disclosure.

The control logic then initiates the performance of the one or moredevice actions using one or more output devices of the garment device(block 630). For example, the control logic could activate one or morehaptic feedback actuators (e.g., an eccentric rotating mass (ERM)actuator, a linear resonant actuator (LRA) device, etc.) within thefirst wearable garment device. The control logic also determines one ormore graphics to depict, based on the determined attributes and thepredefined attributes of the garment device (block 635). For example,the control logic could generate one or more frames determined based onthe one or more device actions and could output the frame(s) for displayusing a display device of the garment device. For instance, the controllogic could determine an in-game rank of a player associated with thegarment device and could generate one or more frames depicting a symbolcorresponding to the in-game rank. The control logic then outputs thedepiction on a display device embedded within the wearable garmentdevice (block 640), and the method 600 ends. Doing so creates dynamicinteractions between wearable garment devices based on correspondingstate information within an interactive game and enables players todemonstrate their in-game rank to other users within the proximatephysical environment.

Technical Description

An example of an interactive device is shown in FIG. 7, which is a blockdiagram illustrating an interactive device configured with aninteractive object component, according to one embodiment describedherein. In this example, the device 700 includes, without limitation, aprocessor 710, storage 715, memory 720, audio input/output (I/O)device(s) 735, a radio-frequency (RF) transceiver 740, a cameradevice(s) 745, an infrared transceiver 750, an accelerometer device 755,and a light-emitting device 760. Generally, the processor 710 retrievesand executes programming instructions stored in the memory 720.Processor 710 is included to be representative of a single CPU, multipleCPUs, a single CPU having multiple processing cores, GPUs havingmultiple execution paths, and the like. The memory 720 is generallyincluded to be representative of a random access memory. Theradio-frequency transceiver 740 enables the interactive object component725 to connect to a data communications network (e.g., wired Ethernetconnection or an 802.11 wireless network). As discussed above, theinteractive device may include one or more battery devices (not shown).

Further, while the depicted embodiment illustrates the components of aparticular interactive device, one of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that interactive devices may use a variety of differenthardware architectures. For instance, in one embodiment the controllercomponent logic is implemented as hardware logic. Examples of suchhardware logic include, without limitation, an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC) and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).Moreover, it is explicitly contemplated that embodiments may beimplemented using any device or computer system capable of performingthe functions described herein.

Returning to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 7, the memory 720represents any memory sufficiently large to hold the necessary programsand data structures. Memory 720 could be one or a combination of memorydevices, including Random Access Memory, nonvolatile or backup memory(e.g., programmable or Flash memories, read-only memories, etc.). Inaddition, memory 720 and storage 715 may be considered to include memoryphysically located elsewhere; for example, on another computercommunicatively coupled to the interactive device 700. Illustratively,the memory 720 includes an interactive object component 725 and anoperating system 730. The interactive object component 725 could beconfigured to receive commands (e.g., encoded in RF or infrared signals)and to execute the commands to perform audiovisual effects. In oneembodiment, the interactive object component 725 is configured todecrypt the commands using a received key before executing the commands.The operating system 730 generally controls the execution of applicationprograms on the interactive device 700. Examples of operating system 730include UNIX, a version of the Microsoft Windows® operating system, anddistributions of the Linux® operating system. Additional examples ofoperating system 730 include custom operating systems for gamingconsoles, including the custom operating systems for systems such as theNintendo DS® and Sony PSP®.

The infrared transceiver 750 represents any device capable of sendingand receiving infrared signals. In another embodiment, a device 700 thatonly sends or receives infrared signals may be configured with aninfrared transmitter or a infrared receiver, respectively, as opposed tothe infrared transceiver 750. The sound I/O devices 735 could includedevices such as microphones and speakers. For example, the speakerscould be used to produce sound effects (e.g., explosion sound effects,dialogue, etc.) and/or to produce vibration effects.

Generally, the interactive object component 725 provides logic for theinteractive device 700. For example, the interactive object component725 could be configured to detect that a coded infrared signal has beenreceived (e.g., using the infrared transceiver 750). The interactiveobject component 725 could then determine a type of the infrared signal(e.g., based on data specified within the coded infrared signal) andcould determine a corresponding response based on determined type. Forexample, the interactive object component 725 could determine that theinfrared signal specifies that a repulsor ray blast sound effect shouldbe played, and, in response, could output the specified sound effectusing audio I/O devices 735. As another example, the signal could beencoded with data specifying that a particular lighting effect should bedisplayed according to a specified schedule (e.g., at a particular pointin time), and the interactive object component 725 could monitor theschedule (e.g., using an internal clock) and could activate theappropriate light-emitting device 760 at the appropriate time.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a controller device, according to oneembodiment described herein. As shown, the controller 800 includes aprocessor 810, storage 815, memory 820, a radio-frequency transceiver840 and an infrared transceiver 845. Generally, the processor 810retrieves and executes programming instructions stored in the memory820. Processor 810 is included to be representative of a single CPU,multiple CPUs, a single CPU having multiple processing cores, GPUshaving multiple execution paths, and the like. The memory 820 isgenerally included to be representative of a random access memory. Theradio-frequency transceiver 840 enables the controller device 800 totransmit and receive radio-frequency signals. Likewise, the infraredtransceiver 845 allows the device 800 to transmit and receive infraredsignals. Further, while the depicted embodiment illustrates thecomponents of a particular controller device 800, one of ordinary skillin the art will recognize that interactive objects may use a variety ofdifferent hardware architectures. Moreover, it is explicitlycontemplated that embodiments may be implemented using any device orcomputer system capable of performing the functions described herein.

The memory 820 represents any memory sufficiently large to hold thenecessary programs and data structures. Memory 820 could be one or acombination of memory devices, including Random Access Memory,nonvolatile or backup memory (e.g., programmable or Flash memories,read-only memories, etc.). In addition, memory 820 and storage 815 maybe considered to include memory physically located elsewhere; forexample, on another computer communicatively coupled to the controllerdevice 800. Illustratively, the memory 820 includes a controllercomponent 825, user data 830 and an operating system 835. The operatingsystem 835 generally controls the execution of application programs onthe controller device 800. Examples of operating system 835 includeUNIX, a version of the Microsoft Windows® operating system, anddistributions of the Linux® operating system. Additional examples ofoperating system 835 include custom operating systems for gamingconsoles, including the custom operating systems for systems such as theNintendo DS® and Sony PSP®.

Generally, the controller component 825 configures the interactiveobjects (e.g., toys 110, 115 and 120, or an action disc device 200) toperform particular actions. The particular actions can also be based onthe user data 830 (e.g., historical interactions data between the userand various interactive objects, user preferences data, etc.) and one ormore environmental factor (e.g., a room of the house the object iscurrently in, a time of day, a day of the week, etc.). For instance, inone embodiment, the controller component 825 is configured with logicfor recognizing particular events and broadcasting commands for thedevices to perform a corresponding action(s) in response. In such anembodiment, the controller component 825 could use input/output devices(e.g., cameras, microphones, wireless transceivers, infrared sensors,etc.) to detect when a particular event occurs. For instance, thecontroller component 825 could use a camera to detect when a particularprojection appears, and could then broadcast a command (e.g., using a RFsignal) instructing the devices to perform a corresponding action inresponse. As another example, the controller component 825 could receivea wireless signal (e.g., an RF signal, data communicated using Bluetoothcommunications, etc.) from another one of the devices, indicating that aparticular action has been performed. The device could then broadcast asignal instructing one or more other devices to perform a correspondingaction responsive to receiving the signal.

In a particular embodiment, the controller component 825 is configuredto control the actions of multiple devices to cause the devices toperform audiovisual effects synchronously. For instance, the controllercomponent 825 could broadcast a message to the devices, instructing thedevices to perform a particular audiovisual effect immediately uponreceiving the message. As another example, the controller component 825could broadcast a message to the devices, instructing the devices toperform actions (e.g., play a sound effect, trigger a lighting effect,etc.) according to a schedule. Here, the devices may maintain internalclocks that are synchronized with one another for use in synchronouslyperforming the audiovisual actions.

As discussed above, the controller component 825 can be configured todynamically optimize the playback of audio on various interactivedevices used in the playback of the story. Such alterations can include,without limitation, variable bit rate encodings of audio files,generating audio data using MIDI control operations, applyingequalization parameters to alter audio data, scheduling multiple devicesto output sound effects according to a schedule to give the impressionof stereophonic or surround-sound, and so on. Doing so helps to providea more immersive soundscape during the playback of a story.

Generally speaking, the devices and the controller 800 may beimplemented in any number of different ways, consistent with the presentdisclosure. With respect to hardware, embodiments may employ a modulardesign for maximum hardware reusability across different interactiveobjects. Such a design could include, for instance, hardware adaptersthat allow common processors, memories and buses to receive and senddata via a multiplicity of sensors, displays, effectors and other meansof communication. Additionally, system and/or operating system agnosticsites (e.g., Portals) could be used to ensure maximum compatibility forall users.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an augmented reality device,according to one embodiment described herein. In this example, theaugmented reality device 900 includes, without limitation, a processor902, storage 905, memory 910, I/O devices 920, a network interface 925,camera devices 930, a display devices 935 and an accelerometer device940. Generally, the processor 902 retrieves and executes programminginstructions stored in the memory 910. Processor 902 is included to berepresentative of a single CPU, multiple CPUs, a single CPU havingmultiple processing cores, GPUs having multiple execution paths, and thelike. The memory 910 is generally included to be representative of arandom access memory. The network interface 925 enables the augmentedreality device 900 to connect to a data communications network (e.g.,wired Ethernet connection or an 802.11 wireless network). Further, whilethe depicted embodiment illustrates the components of a particularaugmented reality device 900, one of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that augmented reality devices may use a variety of differenthardware architectures. Moreover, it is explicitly contemplated thatembodiments of the invention may be implemented using any device orcomputer system capable of performing the functions described herein.

The memory 910 represents any memory sufficiently large to hold thenecessary programs and data structures. Memory 910 could be one or acombination of memory devices, including Random Access Memory,nonvolatile or backup memory (e.g., programmable or Flash memories,read-only memories, etc.). In addition, memory 910 and storage 905 maybe considered to include memory physically located elsewhere; forexample, on another computer communicatively coupled to the augmentedreality device 900. Illustratively, the memory 910 includes an augmentedreality component 913 and an operating system 915. The operating system915 generally controls the execution of application programs on theaugmented reality device 900. Examples of operating system 915 includeUNIX, a version of the Microsoft Windows® operating system, anddistributions of the Linux® operating system. Additional examples ofoperating system 915 include custom operating systems for gamingconsoles, including the custom operating systems for systems such as theNintendo DS® and Sony PSP®.

The I/O devices 920 represent a wide variety of input and outputdevices, including displays, keyboards, touch screens, and so on. Forinstance, the I/O devices 920 may include a display device used toprovide a user interface. As an example, the display may provide a touchsensitive surface allowing the user to select different applications andoptions within an application (e.g., to select an instance of digitalmedia content to view). Additionally, the I/O devices 920 may include aset of buttons, switches or other physical device mechanisms forcontrolling the augmented reality device 900. For example, the I/Odevices 920 could include a set of directional buttons used to controlaspects of a video game played using the augmented reality device 900.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a wearable garment device,according to one embodiment described herein. For example, in oneembodiment, the wearable garment device 1000 represents a shirt havingembedded computing devices. More generally, however, any form of garmentmay be used, consistent with the functionality described herein.

As shown, the wearable garment device 1000 includes a controller device1010, a power supply 1020, a display device 1030, a haptic feedbackdevice 1040, an audio I/O device 1050, an RF transceiver device 1060 anda memory 1070. The haptic feedback device 1040 generally represents anydevice capable of providing haptic feedback for a wearer of the wearablegarment device 1000. The RF transceiver device 1060 represents anydevice capable of sending and receiving RF signals.

The memory 1070 contains predefined attribute 1080. Generally, thepredefined attribute data 1080 specifies gameplay state information fora player of an interactive game. For example, the predefined attributedata 1080 could be written to the memory 1070 upon successfulauthentication of a player who purchased the wearable garment device1000. The predefined attribute data 1080 could specify, for example, alevel of the player within an interactive game, a group to which theplayer belongs in the interactive game, accomplishments of the playerwithin the interactive game, and so on.

In the preceding, reference is made to embodiments of the invention.However, the invention is not limited to specific described embodiments.Instead, any combination of the following features and elements, whetherrelated to different embodiments or not, is contemplated to implementand practice the invention. Furthermore, although embodiments of theinvention may achieve advantages over other possible solutions and/orover the prior art, whether or not a particular advantage is achieved bya given embodiment is not limiting of the invention. Thus, the precedingaspects, features, embodiments and advantages are merely illustrativeand are not considered elements or limitations of the appended claimsexcept where explicitly recited in a claim(s). Likewise, reference to“the invention” shall not be construed as a generalization of anyinventive subject matter disclosed herein and shall not be considered tobe an element or limitation of the appended claims except whereexplicitly recited in a claim(s).

Aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method orcomputer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present inventionmay take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirelysoftware embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code,etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that mayall generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or“system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take theform of a computer program product embodied in one or more computerreadable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodiedthereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present invention are described above with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. Each block of the block diagrams and/orflowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagramsand/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special-purposehardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, orcombinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof isdetermined by the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:determining an identification credential that uniquely identifies aplayer within an interactive gaming environment played using one or moreelectronic devices; retrieving, over a data communications network, agameplay state of the player within the interactive gaming environment,wherein the gameplay state includes at least one of a rank of theplayer, one or more accomplishments of the player, and a group to whichthe player belongs within the interactive gaming environment;determining a first wearable garment device having a preexistingassociation with the player within the interactive gaming environment,wherein the first wearable garment device is configured with one or moredisplay devices; generating, by operation of one or more computerprocessors, a graphical depiction of at least one of the rank, the oneor more accomplishments, and the group of the player specified withinthe gameplay state; causing the generated graphical depiction to beoutput for display using the one or more display devices of the firstwearable garment device; determining a second wearable garment deviceassociated with a second player is within range of the first wearablegarment device, based on one or more data packets received over anetwork interface from the second wearable garment; dynamicallydetermining one or more actions to perform, based on a relationshipbetween the gameplay state of the player and gameplay attributes of thesecond wearable garment device; and causing the first wearable garmentdevice to perform the determined one or more actions.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the generated graphicaldepiction is displayed as a persistent image on the one or more displaydevices of the first wearable garment device.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the graphical depictioncomprises one or more symbols having a predefined relationship with therank of the player within the interactive gaming environment.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein causing the generatedgraphical depiction to be output for display using the one or moredisplay devices of the first wearable garment device further comprisestransmitting one or more data packets including a representation of thegenerated graphical depiction, to a controller embedded in the firstwearable garment device, using a wireless data communication network. 5.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:determining a physical location of the player within a physicalenvironment; determining one or more known geographical locations withina threshold distance of the physical location of the player; generatinga second graphical depiction corresponding to the one or more knowngeographical locations; and causing the generated second graphicaldepiction to be output for display using the one or more display devicesof the first wearable garment device.
 6. The computer-implemented methodof claim 5, wherein the one or more known geographical locations areselected from a plurality of known geographical locations correspondingto a plurality of attractions at a theme park, wherein each of theplurality of attractions is configured with a respective beacon, andwherein determining the physical location of the player within thephysical environment further comprises receiving a signal from thebeacon corresponding to a first one of the attractions.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first wearablegarment device is further configured with at least one of a speakerdevice and a haptic feedback device, and further comprising: determininga current context for the player within the interactive gamingenvironment; determining one or more gameplay actions occurring duringthe current context within the interactive gaming environment; andtransmitting an instruction to the first wearable garment device, usinga wireless data communications network, to perform a determined feedbackoperation responsive to the one or more gameplay actions occurringduring the current context.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein the first wearable garment device is powered using at leastone of a coin cell battery and a flexible battery sewn into a fabric ofthe first wearable garment device.
 9. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein determining the first wearable garment device havingthe preexisting association with the player within the interactivegaming environment further comprises: retrieving a tag uniquelyidentifying a device type of the first wearable garment device.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the tag is retrievedusing at least one of radio frequency (RF) communications, reflectedlight-emitting diode (LED) light, and one or more camera sensors. 11.The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein retrieving the tagfurther comprises receiving one or more data packets, over a wirelessdata communications network, specifying the tag uniquely identifying thedevice type of the first wearable garment device.
 12. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:transmitting, to an interactive device, an instruction specifying anindication of at least a portion of the gameplay state of the player,wherein the interactive device is configured with control logic to:perform an analysis of the specified indication; determine one or moredevice actions to perform based on the analysis; and transmit aninstruction to cause the determined one or more device actions to beperformed.
 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein thedetermined one or more device actions are based on a determinedrelationship between the indication of at least a portion of thegameplay state of the player and predefined attribute information storedon the interactive device.
 14. The computer-implemented method of claim13, wherein the control logic for the interactive device is configuredto access a mapping of attribute relationships to device actions todetermine the one or more device actions to be performed.
 15. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: each time adetermination is made that the first wearable garment device is withincommunications range, repeating the generating of the graphicaldepiction and the causing the generated graphical depiction to be outputfor display using the one or more display devices of the first wearablegarment device.
 16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containingcomputer program code executable to perform an operation comprising:determining an identification credential that uniquely identifies aplayer within an interactive gaming environment played using one or moreelectronic devices; retrieving a gameplay state of the player within theinteractive gaming environment, wherein the gameplay state includes atleast one of a rank of the player, one or more accomplishments of theplayer, and a group to which the player belongs within the interactivegaming environment; determining, by operation of one or more computerprocessors when executing the computer program code, a wearable garmentdevice having a preexisting association with the player within theinteractive gaming environment, wherein the first wearable garmentdevice is configured with one or more display devices; generating agraphical depiction of at least one of the rank, the one or moreaccomplishments, and the group of the player specified within thegameplay state; causing the generated graphical depiction to be outputfor display using the one or more display devices of the first wearablegarment device; determining a second wearable garment device associatedwith a second player is within range of the first wearable garmentdevice, based on one or more data packets received over a networkinterface from the second wearable garment device; dynamicallydetermining one or more actions to perform, based on a relationshipbetween the gameplay state of the player and gameplay attributes of thesecond wearable garment device; and causing the first wearable garmentdevice to perform the determined one or more actions.
 17. A system,comprising: one or more computer processors; and a memory containingcomputer program code that, when executed by operation of the one ormore computer processors, performs an operation comprising: determiningan identification credential that uniquely identifies a player within aninteractive gaming environment played using one or more electronicdevices; retrieving a gameplay state of the player within theinteractive gaming environment, wherein the gameplay state includes atleast one of a rank of the player, one or more accomplishments of theplayer, and a group to which the player belongs within the interactivegaming environment; determining a wearable garment device having apreexisting association with the player within the interactive gamingenvironment, wherein the first wearable garment device is configuredwith one or more display devices; generating a graphical depiction of atleast one of the rank, the one or more accomplishments, and the group ofthe player specified within the gameplay state; causing the generatedgraphical depiction to be output for display using the one or moredisplay devices of the first wearable garment device; determining asecond wearable garment device associated with a second player is withinrange of the first wearable garment device, based on one or more datapackets received over a network interface from the second wearablegarment device; dynamically determining one or more actions to perform,based on a relationship between the gameplay state of the player andgameplay attributes of the second wearable garment device; and causingthe first wearable garment device to perform the determined one or moreactions.
 18. The system of claim 17, the operation further comprising:determining a physical location of the player within a physicalenvironment; determining one or more known geographical locations withina threshold distance of the physical location of the player, wherein theone or more known geographical locations are selected from a pluralityof known geographical locations corresponding to a plurality ofattractions at a theme park, wherein each of the plurality ofattractions is configured with a respective beacon, and whereindetermining the physical location of the player within the physicalenvironment further comprises receiving a signal from the beaconcorresponding to a first one of the attractions; generating a secondgraphical depiction corresponding to the one or more known geographicallocations; causing the generated second graphical depiction to be outputfor display using the one or more display devices of the first wearablegarment device; and transmitting, to an interactive device, aninstruction specifying an indication of at least a portion of thegameplay state of the player, wherein the interactive device isconfigured with control logic to: perform an analysis of the specifiedindication; access a mapping of attribute relationships to deviceactions to determine the one or more device actions to be performed,based on the analysis; and transmit an instruction to cause thedetermined one or more device actions to be performed, wherein thedetermined one or more device actions are based on a determinedrelationship between the indication of at least a portion of thegameplay state of the player and predefined attribute information storedon the interactive device.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein the firstwearable garment device is further configured with at least one of aspeaker device and a haptic feedback device, wherein the operationfurther comprises: determining a current context for the player withinthe interactive gaming environment; determining one or more gameplayactions occurring during the current context within the interactivegaming environment; and transmitting an instruction to the firstwearable garment device, using a wireless data communications network,to perform a determined feedback operation responsive to the one or moregameplay actions occurring during the current context, wherein the firstwearable garment device is powered using at least one of a coin cellbattery and a flexible battery sewn into a fabric of the first wearablegarment device.
 20. The system of claim 17, wherein determining thefirst wearable garment device further comprises: retrieving a taguniquely identifying a device type of the first wearable garment device,wherein the tag is retrieved using at least one of radio frequency (RF)communications, reflected light-emitting diode (LED) light, and one ormore camera sensors, and wherein retrieving the tag further comprisesreceiving one or more data packets, over a wireless data communicationsnetwork, specifying the tag uniquely identifying the device type of thefirst wearable garment device.